Rusty Shovel
Well-Known Member
I think everyone agrees that EITHER batteries or hydrogen is a better solution than continued use of fossil fuels.Can the planet sustain continued exclusive use of fossil fuels that also poisons our ecosystem? Old batteries can be recycled a lot easier than coal ash.
As it sits right now, generating Hydrogen from electrolysis uses a lot of electricity, and it a less efficient "storage" medium compared to the power used to generate it. Not only that, it tends to leak out of its containers because the molecules are so small.
Eventually hydrogen might get more efficient than batteries. That's a long ways away, and Battery tech might stay ahead as it advances.
As for the rest, both technologies are in their infancy--correction: hydrogen tech is in its infancy, large-scale battery tech is, at best, a toddler. As battery tech matures, its drawbacks are becoming better and better known. Who was at the forefront of electrification? Toyota. Who is having second thoughts and investing heavily in hydrogen tech? Toyota.
Solid state batteries MAY make pursuing hydrogen power obsolete; increasingly frugal methods (or endless fusion power) to create and store hydrogen MAY make large-scale battery storage obsolete. It's too early to know which tech will prevail, but in it's current form, large-scale battery tech is NOT ready for widespread use.
Smarter people than me are working on a solution from many different angles. All of your points are valid...and so are mine. Personally, I hope hydrogen wins out, if only because electric cars feel soulless.
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